ALGIERS, Algeria, Nov. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Cancer patients in Algeria now have access to modern radiotherapy care with the commencement of treatments at two of six public hospitals currently being equipped by Varian (NYSE: VAR), the world leader in radiotherapy equipment and software. Treatments delivered using linear accelerators including Algeria’s first TrueBeam™ systems are being delivered at Sidi-Bel-Abbes and Tlemcen Hospitals in the west of the country.

“We are delighted to announce Varian’s systems have started treating patients at two new public hospitals as part of the wider government project in Algeria that was initiated in 2014,” said Dow Wilson, Varian’s chief executive officer. “We are honored to partner with the Algerian Ministry of Health to bring Varian’s latest technologies in treatment planning and delivery for the benefit of cancer patients in this important region and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the radiation oncology community in Algeria to implement advanced techniques in radiotherapy and radiosurgery.”

Professor Mokhtar Hasbellaoui, Algeria’s Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, added, “The implementation of this radiotherapy partnership with Varian has allowed us to develop a local offering in all regions of the country. These first two centers to be put into operation will offer the population of Western Algeria quality services with the latest generation linear accelerators and well-trained teams.”

Varian announced three years ago that it was entering into an agreement with the Algerian Ministry of Health to equip six cancer treatment centers with advanced technology for radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Under the agreement, Varian is supplying each center with three medical linear accelerators, including a TrueBeam™ STx radiosurgery unit, as well as Eclipse™ treatment planning and ARIA® oncology information management software. The four other sites in the cities of Adrar, Laghouat, Tiaret and Bejaia are scheduled to come into clinical operation over the next three years.

As part of the agreement, Varian also committed to establish a local entity to provide a broad spectrum of services as well as a regional education center and the company has since met these commitments.

About Varian Medical SystemsVarian Medical Systems focuses energy on saving lives and is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating and managing cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 6,600 people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.